Plasmonic electro-optic modulator design using a resonant metal grating

Opt Lett. 2008 Mar 15;33(6):551-3. doi: 10.1364/ol.33.000551.

Abstract

A plasmonic electro-optic modulator design using an evanescently coupled resonant metal grating is numerically studied in this Letter. Owing to excitation and propagation of long-range surface plasmons between the metal grating nanowires, a deep and narrow reflection dip can be obtained. Improved modulation performance is achieved through decreased damping from large dielectric gaps between the grating nanowires. An optimized electro-optic modulator design with lower insertion loss and low operating voltage is presented.